Developer's Log

[CraigStern]

I've updated the map editor: when loading or saving maps, it now automatically defaults to the Documents > My Games > Telepath Tactics folder, where the subfolders with user-created maps are stored. The map editor installers have been updated online.

Updated the game installers, too. :)

[CraigStern]

Two new script actions: RemoveItem and RemoveItemByName.

RemoveItem takes two parameters: the name of the character, and the numerical position of the item to remove from that character's inventory. (You can see the numerical position of an item by looking at a character's inventory: the topleftmost item is at position 0; the item to its right is at position 1; and so on.) The game will unequip and remove that exact item from the character's inventory.

RemoveItemByName takes two parameters: the name of the character, and the name of the item to remove from that character's inventory. The game will then unequip and remove the first instance of an item with that name that it finds in the character's inventory.

[CraigStern]

Made a couple of improvements to Exploration mode:

--Shove and other knockback abilities can now be used indefinitely without graying out a character
--The Actions Menu now remains onscreen while you move characters around

Also, I've updated the manual with documentation of the Fatigue condition and the new remove item actions.

I've updated the installers online, along with the online copy of the manual.

[CraigStern]

Sooooo, today was mostly eaten up fixing some rather complicated bugs that I didn't catch back when I was coding in support for animations in Move abilities. Among the fixes:

-- you can once again undo after using a Move skill with an afterAtk of Unlimited
-- you can now use Teleport move skill animations of any length (as long as they're 12+ frames long)

[CraigStern]

So! This past week was basically 100% dedicated to boring marketing and business stuff in preparation for PAX Prime. I spent today updating the public alpha demo; that should be updated online sometime tomorrow, once I've finished testing it and confirming that everything works as advertised. (Hopefully, I'll have some time tomorrow to get back to working on game features.)

[CraigStern]

Alt is now the new key to view space info; Control was annoying me too much, as it would activate every time I hit Ctrl + F.

I've fixed some bugs, including one that would occasionally freeze the game.

I've finished making improvements to the public demo; I've updated it online. ;)

[CraigStern]

I've received the dungeon tileset from Lorne Whiting; I've been testing them out, and so far they're just fantastic! Here's a screenshot from some of my playing around with them in the map editor. :)

[CraigStern]

New dialog action: RemoveTrigger. Takes two parameters: y coordinate and x coordinate. Removes all triggers from objects at those coordinates.

New dialog action: AddStatus. Takes three parameters: character name, status effect, and element. "Character name" tells the game which character to give the status effect to; "status effect" tells the game which status effect to give him/her; and "element" tells the game what sort of elemental resistance applies for purposes of determining whether the character does, in fact, end up getting the status effect. (Note: You can use AutoAdd for the element parameter if you want the status effect to automatically apply without any chance of resisting it.)

New dialog action: AddStatusAt. Exactly like AddStatus, but in lieu of character name, there are two other parameters: y coordinate and x coordinate. This attempts to give a status effect to whatever character is at those coordinates.


Example: AddStatusAt          6,4,Burning,Heat will check for a character at the coordinates 6 , 4--if it finds one, it will use the character's Heat resistance to determine if he/she gains Burning status, just as if the character were hit with a Heat attack.

[CraigStern]

Fixed a bug that was causing counterattacking objects (e.g. spiked barricades) to spawn a directional arrow upon dealing damage.

Fixed a bug that was causing certain Frozen or Burning destructible objects to visibly stretch onscreen.

Fixed a bug that was causing the Run action to not work.

Fixed a bug that was causing the game to not save custom string variables correctly between battles.

Fixed a bug that was causing the AI to pointlessly consume Adrenaline Pills.

Made the AI distinguish between triggered and equipped items; it no longer attempts to use equipped items.

You can no longer gain points for damaging or killing characters from allied armies.


The early access builds have been updated online. ;)

[CraigStern]

You can now have dialog be triggered more than once in any given scene. To enable this feature, add an r attribute to branch 0 of whatever conversation you want to do this with (for now, this means opening up the XML file and doing it manually).

Next, set the r attribute to the number of repetitions you want the conversation to have. (By default, all conversations have an r value of 1.) If you set r to 3, the dialog will be capable of being repeated three times, after which point it can no longer be triggered. If you set r to any value less than 1, the dialog will become capable of being triggered an infinite number of times.

For example:

Code Select Expand

  <Dialog branch="0" r="-1">
    OnReachingSpace/6,0,,0//Exit the lissit camp?
    <Reply>Stay./EndConv</Reply>
    <Reply>Leave./NextScene</Reply>
  </Dialog>

This will trigger dialog with the option to progress to the next scene every time the player moves one of his or her characters onto space 6,0--and the dialog will continue to trigger no matter how many times the player moves onto the space and selects "Stay."

[CraigStern]

New action: RemoveTriggerObj. Takes two parameters: Y Coordinate and X Coordinate. Finds all objects on that space with triggers and removes those objects from the battlefield. (Basically, this is for removing one-use traps and other scripted objects.)

Fixed a bug that was causing the game to crash with usage of condition script actions (IfValRun, etc.)

[CraigStern]

The installers have been updated. ;)

[CraigStern]

Fixed: a bug that was causing the game to not recognize the names of various characters in maps that allowed the player to deploy her own troops. (This resulted instant death if the map also required you to keep a named character alive.)

The installers have been updated.

[CraigStern]

Fixed a few formatting errors in assigning graphics to different items.

Got the game's first oversized character portraits: the shadowlings! :D

[CraigStern]

Much of today was spent packing and preparing for my flight to Seattle tomorrow afternoon. I did manage to get in a few improvements, though! Most notably, I made it so you can now use special characters in a conversation's trigger parameters (-VAL:- being perhaps the most important).

Also: I tested, found and fixed a few bugs today.

--character level-ups once again trigger properly after using Shield skills
--movement tiles now disappear when the Rally command is selected
--removed a stray pixel from the right-facing Spear attack animation